Musical instrument.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK w. woon, or KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Toall whom it concern;

Be it known that I, FREDERICK 001), a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and Stateof Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in to pneumatically being shown in solid lines in the non-striking positions, and in dotted lines in the striking positions. Fig. 2 is an elevation view, showing two sounding bars and two pneumatics for operating the same, the stop bar being shown in the elevated position.

Similar reference characters designate similar parts in the difierent views.

It will be understood that my improved mechanism provides a plurality of hammers, and pneumatics for operating the same corresponding in number to the number of sounding bodies in the instrument which is provided with my invention.

As all of the hammers and their accompanying mechanisms are alike, description of one will suflice.

1 designates sounding bodies, such as Xylophone bars, which are supported in the usual manner upon two transverse bars 2 and 3, which are mounted upon a horizontal support -i, to the forward edge of which is secured a horizontal bar 5.

The bar 5 is provided with a plurality of vertical holes 6 in which are loosely mounted respectively a plurality of "hammersfcomprising vertical bars 7 disposed respectively below and adapted to strike the sounding bodies 1.

The hammers 7 have their lower ends I Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 31,1915.

Application filed December 29,1913. SerialNo.809,889.

mounted respectively upon strips of leather, felt or similar material 8, secured respectively upon forwardly extending members 9, which are respectively secured to the movable members 10 of a plurality of pneumatics 11, which communicate interiorly respectively with passages 12 adapted to be connected with .a vacuum chamber, not shown, :such as is commonly (employed in instruments of this characten lVhen the parts are in the position shown insolid lines in 1, and passage 12 is connected, by means =0f mechanism not shown, with the vacuum chamber, the pneumatic 11 will be collapsed, thereby swinging upwardly the member 9 and throwing the hammer 7 against the sounding body 1-. As is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the hammer 7 will clear the strip 8 at the time that the hammer strikes the body 1. Thus when the hammer is in contact with the sounding body, the sound made by contact of the hammer with the body will not be deadened nor affected, as would bethe case if the hammer at the time of contact would be still engaged or supported by the strip 8. After the hammer strikes the sounding body, it will be dropped by gravity out of contact with the sounding body and will rest upon the strip 8. As soon as the pneumatic .11 expands, the member 9 will reassume the original position and will carry with it the hammer 7.

For the purpose of normally holding the members9 releasably locked from upward movement I provide the following described mechanism, adapted to be used in connection with any well known coin operated controlling mechanism, not shown, for preventing unauthorized or unpaid for playing of the instrument.

A horizontal bar 13 is pivotally supported from the bar '5 by means of links 1 1, the upper ends of which are pivoted to the bar 5 and the lower ends of which are pivoted to the bar 13. The bar 13 is disposed transverse] y above the members 9 and is normally held in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 by means of a coil spring 15, one end of which is secured to a pin 16, mounted in the upper edge of the bar 13, and the other end of which is secured to a horizontal forwardly extending pin 17 secured in the bar 5. In the latter position, that is the depressed position shown in the dotted lines in Fig. 1, the bar 13 rests against the strips 8 carried by the members 9 and thereby prevents upward movement of said members.

When it is desired to have-any one of the pneumatics 11 operated, the bar 13 is swung to the elevated position shown in Fig. 2, and in solid lines in Fig. 1, by means of a link 18, one end of which is pivoted to the bar 13 and the other end of which is pivoted to the moving member 19 of an ordinary bellows pneumatic 20, which is adapted to be connected by means of a tube 21 with the common vacuum chamber hereinbefore referredto.

When the pneumatic 20 is collapsed, as shown in Fig. 2, it, will, through the intermediacy of the link 18, swing the bar 13 to the elevated position, whereupon the pneumatics 11 may be collapsed for the urpose of causing the hammers 7 to strlke the sounding bodies 1.

The pneumatics 11 and the pneumatic 20 may be provided with the usual springs, not shown, for forcing them to the expanded position.

As the hammers 7 have no springs connected with them, and as they are disconnected, at the time of contact with the sounding body, from the mechanism which propels them against the soundin body, the sounds produced will be pure an clear.

I donot limit my invention to the structure illustrated and described as modifications, within the scope of the appended claims, may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a musical instrument, a soundin body, a vertically slidable gravity retracte hammer, a support for the hammer, a pneumatic for moving said support so as to project the hammer against the sounding body, and a stop for limiting the striking movement of said support to a position in which the support will be disconnected from the hammer when the hammer is in contact with said sounding body.

2. In a musical instrument, a sounding body, a hammer adapted to strike said sounding body, a support carrying said hammer, a pneumatic for moving said support to project the hammer against said sounding body, and a stop movable to and from a position in which it will hold said support from being actuated by said pneumatic.

3. In a musical instrument, a sounding body, a hammer adapted to strike said body,

a support carrying said hammer, a pneu-.

matic for moving said support to project the hammer against said body, a stop movable to and from a position in which it will hold said support from being actuated by said pneumatic, a spring for movin said stop in one direction, and a pneumatic for moving said stop in the opposite direction.

5. In a musical instrument, a sounding body, a vertically movable support below said sounding body, a guide intermediate of said body and said support, a hammer freely and vertically slidable in said guide and carried by said support and adapted to be projected against said body by said support,

the hammer being disconnected from said.

support when striking said body and re tractable by its gravity alone after striking said body, and a pneumatic for upwardly moving said sup ort.

6. In a musica instrument, a plurality of,

sounding bodies, a plurality of hammers adapted respectively to strike said bodies, av

plurality of supports respectively carrying said hammers, a plurality of pneumatics for respectively moving said supports to project said hammers against said bodies, and a stop' movable to and from a position in which it will hold said supports from being actuated by said pneumatics.

In a musical instrument, a plurality of sounding bodies, a plurality of hammers adapted respectively to strike said bodies,-

a plurality of supports respectively carrying said hammers, a plurality of pneumatics for.

respectively moving said supports to project said hammers against said bodies, a stop movable to and from a position in which it.

will hold said supports from being actuated by said pneumatics, a pneumatic for moving said stop in one direction, and means for moving said stop in the other direction.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

Witnesses:

J. C. IRWIN, E. B. HOUSE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

FREDERICK W. \VOOD. 

